Five policemen killed in Chechnya

An ambush by militants in the Russian republic of Chechnya has left five police officers dead and six others injured.

The Interior Ministry says the police convoy consisting of three 4x4 cars, came under attack when traveling through a narrow mountain gorge between Itum-Kala and Sharoi on Sunday evening.

Authorities say the militants used grenade launchers and small arms fire.

“Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Russian Interior Ministry truck convoy in the Sharoi district of the republic of Chechnya. The incident occurred on the highway at around 5 pm on Sunday. Five policemen, including the district interior department chief, were killed in the clash. Four others were wounded,” Vladimir Markin from Russia’s prosecutor’s office explained.

An investigation and a search for the attackers are underway.